Archive for July, 2011

We can officially announce that we are moving to Atlanta. While we were announcing we were moving to the Atlanta area prior to now, there was the possibility for us to live in a community that was actually about 1 hr outside Atlanta. We are going to be living with one other married couple in either a house or apartment. As it gets closer to time we are moving (September 1st) we will be able provide more information, like the exact area of Atlanta. We want to hold off on any further announcements for now in case any changes need to be made between now and then. One thing we have definitely learned along this entire process is to be flexible because changes will happen.

As I am currently speaking for both us, I can honestly say that we are extremely excited right now since we are only one and half months away from the move. We have become even more excited as we have gotten more and more information over the past week. It is always nice to have more pieces of the puzzle.

While it has been some time since I last blogged, I have started to refocus the purpose of my blog from a way to prepare for this move to a way to keep people updated about the process and our coming time in Atlanta. If you have visited our page at Mission Year (www.missionyear.org/blog/westover) you will notice once we start that my blogs will be the same there and here. Josh is also working on creating a separate blog page too. The blog pages give us a little more freedom on format and what can be included.

Fundraising Update:

We are still actively fundraising for this next year. We need to raise $24,000, which will cover living, food, and travel expenses for the entire year. We have currently fundraised $11,540, which is about 48% of our goal. Please visit www.missionyear.org/support/westover to donate.

We will be having multiple going away events over the next month in varying cities, so we would love to see you at one of the events before we leave. Also, we have purposely left the last 2 weeks of August open so we can spend time with family and friends. While we will be driving to see a few people, it will most likely be easier if you come to us. Our home base for most of this time will be Columbus since it is fairly central for where our family and friends our located. So please feel free to contact us if you want to meet up.

Here are the upcoming events:

Columbus Area – July 30th 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Josh and Debbie Westover Farewell Cookout

Thompson Park (Lane Rd. Park)

4250 Woodbridge Rd.

Upper Arlington, OH

In lieu of gifts we are asking that everyone donate at least $10 towards our support raising goal for Mission Year.

Wooster Area – August 6th 6:00 pm – ?

Dinner and Card Tournament

Josh’s Aunt and Uncle’s House – Lloyd and Pat

12458 Doylestown Rd.

Rittman, OH 44270

$20.00 per person to attend and RSVP is needed

Cleveland Area – August 15th or 17th

We are going to have a farewell party and fundraiser at Quaker Steak and Lube one of these evenings. We are still working out the details and will post further information next week.

We all have heard the line that “patience is a virtue.” But deep down inside each one of us, we hear that line and scream “I’m done with being patient!” In our society of instant gratification we have become programmed to believe that everything should happen when we want it to happen, our life plans should occur exactly how we planned and at the exact time we planned those events to occur. But life has slowly but surely taught us that no matter how much we scream on the inside (or outside depending on who you are) life just doesn’t work that way.

Outside of the uncertainties of life, it is easy to find a sense of control over what is going on, but those moments of waiting can be agonizingly long. We sat and waited for those test scores to come back in high school, the letter to come saying we got into college, and the day we walked across the stage with that diploma and could declare we were done. We sit constantly counting down to that next vacation, the next time you get together with your best friends, you or your family members wedding, until the end of the work day or work week, etc. Our lives have been a constant cycle of counting down to what is coming next.

After recently writing about enjoying the simple joys in life, I began realizing how much I am counting down until our move to Georgia. In my head I have very specific dates and check points plotted out along the way to help the countdown go faster. July 12th is when we get to find out exact placement between LaGrange and Atlanta, who we are living with, and possible service sites. July 30th is our farewell cookout for family and friends in Columbus. August 6th is our farewell cookout for family and friends in Wooster. August 19th is my last day at work. And finally September 2nd we move into our new place in Georgia.

As I looked over these dates I realized how much I was missing the point that I am trying to tell others. How can I be counting down between one event to the next, with the end goal of our move to Georgia, and not be missing the simply joys of life all around me?

Over and over again through out the Bible we are taught the virtue of being patient and waiting on the Lord to act. We are taught to find comfort in those times of waiting, to stay steadfast in our prayers, and worship our Lord. Just check out a few of the many versus:

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. ~ Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ~ James 5:7-8

What I have found most important during this time of waiting and learning to be patient is not only enjoying those simple joys but the ability to reflect, learn, and grow closer to God. Over the next 2 months I know I will have days that I sit back and wish that our move was closer, especially after those long, awful days, but I am learning that through those times God teaches and provides and that He has a purpose for this time of waiting.

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long time. Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin